I mentioned few weeks ago about Jack Corridan and being inducted into The Hall of Fame. Well, I was delighted to get a note from Jack' s son Shawn who was going to be accepting the Award on behalf of his Father. Shawn is a scholarship athlete and author, a graduate of the University of Hawaii and member of the Writers Guild of America. Long time resident of Honolulu , married to Julie (Alie) Corridan.
"Friends and family of the inductees gathered at Saturday’s reception, one coming from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii. Growing up, Shawn Corridan never knew of his father Jack Corridan’s exploits on the track.
The Wiley grad was known by many in the community to always run to school at St. Patrick’s Elementary and then to Wiley High School.
Jack Corridan won the mile state championship in 1942 in a record time of 4 minutes, 24.4 seconds.
Corridan went on to become a rocket scientist with NASA. His work helped put the first man on the moon. (Must have been all that running ... research shows exercise helps the brain, after all.)
“He was also a very humble person, too humble If I would have known more about him as I was growing up, it would have meant the world to me. It would have changed my life,” Shawn said at the induction Friday night. “Let this be a lesson to all you mothers and fathers out there: If you have a story to tell, no matter how insignificant you think it is, tell your kids. Tell them now. Don’t wait.”
GITMO
As mentioned above Shawn is an Author and his Book is reviewed hereunder.Why not " shop local " and support one of our own Clan , by downloading a copy TODAY!!!!!
Local writer teams with ex-con, reaps glowing Kirkus Review for “GITMO”
Honolulu, Hawaii – August 17, 2012
In his debut novel, Shawn Corridan – screenwriter, long-time resident and University of Hawaii graduate – partnered with Gary Brooks Waid, an old friend from Florida who’d served eight harrowing years in Florida prisons for smuggling. The results of their collaboration? A stellar review from Kirkus Books, the oldest and most prestigious book reviewer in the nation.
Years ago, Corridan had been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard during an ill-fated smuggling run to Jamaica and was towed into notorious Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba. Corridan vowed to write about his exploits someday.
“GITMO” is an action-comedy-adventure novel currently selling at Amazon/Kindle, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble Nook. The novel is being compared to the writing of world-renown author, Carl Hiaasen. The review can be found at the Kirkus Review website. See attached or read below:
KIRKUS REVIEW
TITLE INFORMATION
GITMO
Waid, Gary and Shawn Corridan Amazon Digital Services (306 pp.) $2.99 e-book, $2.99 e-book December 14, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
In Waid and Corridan’s debut novel, an ex-convict’s attempt to get back on his feet in his home base of Miami results in an unexpected and illegal expedition to Cuba.
Dixon Sweeney is not having a good week. He returns home from years of incarceration to discover that his house and wife are gone, the latter having left him for his best friend. To add insult to injury, a local gang leader threatens to kill Sweeney unless he repays the $65,000 he claims Sweeney owes him. So when an old Cuban associate of his deceased father approaches Sweeney and offers him a half-million dollars to smuggle his granddaughter out of Cuba, the desperate man reluctantly agrees, setting off a life-changing chain of events. Waid and Corridan have constructed a tightly written, extremely entertaining caper with an engaging, witty protagonist. The story deftly balances comedy and suspense, with Sweeney wryly narrating his increasingly bizarre situation in a self-deprecating voice. As outrageous and funny as the novel’s events can be, however, the authors ground their tale and characters in emotional reality. The desperation that drives Sweeney and Maria, the woman he rescues, maintains verisimilitude, even during the story’s most action-packed moments. The same can be said of the authors’ fully realized depictions of Cuba and Guantanamo Bay, which lend plausibility to the novel’s far-fetched turns, particularly regarding the unfolding love story. The novel also delivers several masterful twists that seem simultaneously shocking and, in retrospect, inevitable. "GITMO" is an appealing, satirical, action-tinged adventure.
An exciting read that should appeal to fans of Carl Hiaasen, espionage thrillers and caper comedies.
